In a push to make sure users are always running the latest version of Android, HTC has announced Android L will be available within 90 days of launch. The new update will arrive on the HTC One and One M8.
HTC has claimed they are the fastest OEM manufacturer to update on Android, but carriers restrain the speed of updates. Motorola has been able to surpass these issues with a near-stock Android skin. LG, Samsung and Huawei have all had long processes when updating devices, having to make a new skin for the update.
The HTC One M8 is the current flagship from the Taiwanese manufacturer and the HTC One is the predecessor. The HTC One originally ran Android Jelly Bean 4.1 and has been updated twice since then, to Jelly Bean 4.2 and KitKat 4.4.
Android L brings a new design language to Android, called Material Design. At Google I/O, Matias Duarte explained how Material Design is the combination of new flat aesthetics and conceptions of objects and skeuomorphism. This design language will be adopted on the Web, Chrome OS and on Android TV, Auto and Wear.
HTC does not care for redesigns and Google’s stock interface, Sense might be one of the less overbearing skins, but it is still far from stock. The update will most likely arrive with a new Sense update, to mesh some of Google’s Android L changes.
There is still no official name for this update, Google stuck with calling it Android L at the conference. Lollipop or Lime look like favorites for the name, it seems unlikely Google would drop the naming convention, which they have used since 1.1.
HTC Advantage allows users in the United States to get the quickest updates, alongside one free fix on a broken screen. There is no news on when HTC Advantage will hit the UK and Europe, but we hope this does not delay Android L.
